Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Latvia instead of Jamaica, you would:

Health

be 78.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Jamaica, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Latvia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2019.

Economy

make 3.4 times more money

Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,700 as of 2020, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $29,900 as of 2020.

be 20.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Jamaica, 7.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Latvia, that number is 6.1% as of 2019.

be 33.9% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Jamaica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.9% as of 2018.

Life

be 76.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Jamaica, approximately 80.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Latvia, 19.0 women do as of 2017.

be 12.6% more likely to be literate

In Jamaica, the literacy rate is 88.7% as of 2015. In Latvia, it is 99.9% as of 2018.

be 56.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Jamaica, approximately 11.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Latvia, on the other hand, 4.8 children do as of 2022.

have 45.1% fewer children

In Jamaica, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Latvia, there are 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 63.3% more likely to have internet access

In Jamaica, approximately 55.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In Latvia, about 89.8% do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 22.2% less on education

Jamaica spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Latvia spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

Geography

see 51.3% less coastline

Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Latvia, that number is 498 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Latvia: At a glance

Latvia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 62,249 sq km. The name "Latvia" originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.). The region subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and finally, Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 28% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004; it joined the eurozone in 2014.
Read more

How big is Latvia compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Latvia.or Jamaica It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.